Impact of
Aceh Earthquake
Updated April
12, 2012 06:34:47
Small tsunamis hit Indonesia and Thailand, with waves of up to 80 centimetres in Aceh, but there were no reports of damage or casualties.A huge earthquake and strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, triggering an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert that sent terrified people fleeing from the coast.
US
seismologists then cancelled the tsunami warning, saying the quakes had
generated only small waves and were nowhere near the scale of the disasters
that struck Asia in 2004 and Japan last year.
11:10pm: India has lifted a national tsunami
warning, saying the danger has now passed.
10:46pm: The Indian Ocean tsunami
watch has been cancelled. The
Tsunami Warning Centre says sea level readings indicate that "the threat
has diminished or is over for most areas."
10:37pm: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says
a tsunami watch is now in effect for Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and
more interestingly, the UK.
10:26pm: A few thousand people have been
evacuated to higher ground from parts of India's Andaman and Nicobar islands in
preparation for tsunami waves up to 3.9 metres high, officials say.
10:21pm: At least three tsunamis of up to 80
centimetres have hit Indonesia's coast, the Indonesian Meteorology and
Geophysics Agency says.
10:18pm: Tanzania and Kenya have now issued
tsunami alerts along their coastlines.
10:08pm: The US Pacific Tsunami Warning
Centre says damage across the Indian Ocean basin is not expected.
"We
don't expect damage basin-wide, but there is danger nearby the source. So the
tsunami danger is to the coastlines closest to the earthquake, which would be
northern Sumatra," geophysicist Barry Hirshorn said.
10:06pm: The French island of Reunion in the
Indian Ocean has issued a medium-level tsunami alert.
10:01pm: Reporter Helen Brown spoke to ABC
News 24 from Jakarta a little while ago:
9:55pm: The ABC's Richard Lindell spoke from
India a short time ago.
"Authorities
say that given the location of the earthquake, it can take quite a while for a
tsunami to travel. So they are remaining on alert," he told News 24.
"They're
saying that the warnings will remain in place for a couple of hours still, and
it's really as a precaution to make sure that given the location of the
earthquake, that aftershocks and a tsunami doesn't come later on.
"At the
moment, warnings are in place, but it really is a precautionary measure."
9:36pm: The US Pacific Tsunami Warning
Centre reissues an Indian Ocean tsunami alert following the aftershocks.
9:32pm: Indonesia's geophysics agency says
there has been another aftershock of 8.3 off Aceh.
9:23pm: South-east Asia correspondent Zoe
Daniel (@seacorro) has reported from Bangkok on the panic
following the tsunami alert.
She says
eyewitnesses along the Andaman Coast reported sharply receding water, but
others say it was merely low tide. Tourists and residents have evacuated as a
precaution after sirens sounded in six provinces along the Thai coast and
people are waiting on hillsides around the island.
9:16pm: Indonesia's geophysics agency now
says there has been another aftershock off Aceh of 8.1 magnitude, with the
potential of a tsunami to follow.
9:15pm: The USGS records an 8.2-magnitude
aftershock off Sumatra island, while Indonesia's geophysics agency says it has
extended Aceh's tsunami warning by two hours.
8.58pm: Witness tells Reuters agency that
sea water at Simeulue Island near epicentre of quake has been receding by about
10 metres.
8:54pm: Indonesia officials report
aftershocks in Aceh include a 8.8-magnitude tremor; a new tsunami warning is
issued.
8:34pm: @Kirstenmildren posted this photo from
Thailand on Twitter. "#tsunami alert: friends at Krabi evacuated to higher
ground. Nice sunset at least."
8.33pm: Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says
a tsunami measuring 17 centimetres has been generated in the Indian Ocean and
is headed for Aceh.
8.28pm: India adds the southern
coastal states of Kerala and Orissa to a tsunami warning along with Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
A more
urgent red alert warning was earlier issued for the Andaman and Nicobar
islands, located in the Indian Ocean.
8.22pm: Indonesian president Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono uses address on national television to say "so far,
there is no tsunami threat".
He added
that the country remained on alert.
"The
situation in Aceh is under control, there's a little bit of panic but people
can go to higher ground," he said, adding that he had ordered a disaster
relief team to fly to Aceh.
8.20pm: The international airport on
the southern Thai tourist island of Phuket has been closed.
People in
Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Phangnga, Trang and Satun were earlier ordered to move
to higher ground because of a possible tsunami.
8.19pm: Malaysian authorities issue a
tsunami alert and urge evacuations along its west coast.
"We
have declared a tsunami alert along the west coast of the peninsula. We have
ordered immediate evacuation of residents along the coastal states of Perlis,
Kedah, Langkawi, Penang and Perak," a Malaysian official told AFP.
7.49pm: Thai National Disaster
Prevention Centre warns of tsunami, orders people in six coastal provinces to
move to higher ground.
7.46pm: Indonesia's disaster
mitigation agency reports a 6.5-magnitude aftershock.
7.34pm: Sri Lanka issues an
island-wide tsunami warning.
7.33pm: Indonesia's disaster
mitigation agency is sending a rescue team to Aceh, as the quake knocked out
the province's electricity and sent locals scrambling for higher ground.
"The
quake was felt very strongly. Electricity is down, there's traffic jams to
access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are
everywhere," said agency spokesman Sutopo.
7.28pm: Thailand urges people on the
Andaman coast to move to safe areas.
7.19pm: Indonesia's geophysics agency
says it has not received reports of damage from the quake or detected a rise in
water levels.
7.13pm: US Geological Survey revises
quake off Indonesia downward to 8.7 magnitude from 8.9.
